Recap of The Texas Music Office’s Fifth Annual Texas Sounds & Cities Conference
A recap of the 5th Annual TEXAS SOUNDS & CITIES CONFERENCE from the Texas Music Office's Community Relations & Outreach Specialist, Chip Adams:
The TMO’s Music Friendly Texas program continues to grow each year, and with that expansion, our Texas Sounds & Cities Conference’s role in bringing our communities together becomes all the more important. Having time to network and learn from each other is a key component to the program, and this year’s conference truly showed that when we all work together, great things happen. Our 5th Annual Texas Sounds & Cities Conference took place November 8 & 9 in Houston, and I couldn’t be more proud.
Thank you to all of our cities who made the trip to Houston for the conference. It is something we say over and over, but the Music Friendly program works best when everybody participates. We had over 40 cities represented this year, which was important as we used our roundtable time to launch the Music Friendly Regional Office Program. Hearing all of the conversations and ideas taking place between our communities proves that both the Music Friendly program and the Texas Sounds & Cities conference truly works. It is inspiring to watch our communities work together to find better ways to support and grow their local music industries.
I want to send a very big thank you to all of our partners in Houston for helping us put on the conference. This would not have happened without the support and hard work from Director Necole Irvin and Music & Cultural Tourism Officer Gracie Chávez from the Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs. Also, thank you to the Houston Music Advisory Board and The Convoy Group’s Mark Austin. This was truly a team effort.
Having the right spaces to host our conference helps attendees get a great feel for what the host city is all about, and both the Heights Theater and the Alley Theatre were such wonderful locations. A big thank you to the staff at both spaces for all of your hospitality! Also, thank you to Daisy Mendoza and the team from Casa Mendoza for assisting with all of the logistics in making the conference operate so smoothly. Such a great experience from start to finish!
Texas Sounds & Cities kicked off on Wednesday, November 9 with a guided shuttle tour to showcase the many historical music locations throughout Houston. Getting an opportunity to step inside the Eldorado Ballroom and hear about its remarkable history was just the tip of the iceberg of the tour. An important part of the conference is for our attendees to get a real understanding about the host community, and the tour was the perfect way to see so many locations in one of the most diverse cities in the US. The tour ended at Saint Arnold where the official welcome reception was taking place. There was plenty of networking and live music to help wrap up day one.
Thursday morning was the main day of programming for the conference, starting off bright and early at the Heights Theater. Houston Council Member Abbie Kamin began with a welcome message, followed by Gracie Chávez and TMO Director Brendon Anthony. TMO Marketing & Communications Specialist Jenny Perkins gave a reminder on best practices for marketing and social media, followed by my annual Music Friendly update. This included the launch of our Music Friendly Regional Office program, the debut of our Music Friendly Texas social media profiles, and the announcement of Texas Sounds & Cities 2024 (November 6 & 7 in Lubbock).TMO Director Brendon Anthony and Program Specialist Chris Patin then took the stage to discuss the Texas Music Incubator Rebate program, walking through the details of the process and answering plenty of questions.
Our two speakers for the day were up next, starting with Donald Jackson from the City of Austin’s Economic Development Department. The City of Austin had made significant changes in their zoning to help support music venues and creative spaces, which was incredibly valuable information for our Liaisons to take back to their own communities. Cody Cowan from the National Independent Venue Association was up next. He spoke about the history of the organization and what they do to help support venues not only in Texas but across the US. A big thank you to both of our speakers for taking the time out of their busy schedules to participate in the conference.
We concluded the morning session with city presentations by Samantha Larghe from Destination Dripping Springs and Randy Ham from Odessa Arts. Giving our communities a platform during the conference to discuss their local music industries and what they have done with the Music Friendly Texas program is an important part of each Texas Sounds & Cities conference. Thank you to both Samantha and Randy for their valuable insight!
After a networking lunch and a quick shuttle ride, our afternoon session began at the Alley Theatre with a panel discussion with the Houston Music Advisory Board. I wanted to give them time to talk about the mission of their board and the accomplishments they have made over the past year. It was an honor leading the conversation along with Gracie Chávez and board members Jason Woods, Mark Austin, Tracy Dejarnett, Ericka De Leon, Henry (G-Dash) Guidry, Dr. Anne Lundy, Jagi Kaital, and Lupe Olivares. Thank you to the board members for helping inspire other Advisory Boards all across Texas.
Up next was a true highlight of the conference. TMO Director Brendon Anthony sat down with legendary Houston rapper and entrepreneur Bun B for an hour-long conversation. Their chat included discussing the importance of community supporting the local music scene, government’s role in helping grow the industry, how Houston’s hip-hop scene differentiated itself from the east and west coast, the launch of his Trill Burgers restaurant, and much more. Many thanks to Bun B for stopping by to share his insight from years of experience with our attendees this year.
We concluded the afternoon programming with our roundtable discussions, breaking up our attendees into the five regions that make up the Music Friendly Regional Office program. This marked the official launch of the program, which will provide a regular, efficient process for our cities to share ideas and find new ways to collaborate. Through the course of their conversations, each region was asked to designate a Lead Liaison, select a date and time for their monthly virtual meetings, and to start discussing what their annual in-person networking event might look like. This was quite a bit to accomplish in a relatively short amount of time, but our communities got right to work. Once the roundtable time concluded, we headed to the closing reception at Continental Club, which featured live music from Houston bands Shame On Me and Blossom Aloe.
Texas Sounds & Cities provides an important opportunity for all of our communities to be together, in person, to network, collaborate, share ideas, and help shape the future of the Music Friendly Texas program. Thank you again to all of our attendees, venues, staff, and to all of the folks that helped us put this together. Looking forward to seeing ALL of our Music Friendly Texas Communities next year in Lubbock!
Texas Sounds & Cities Conference 2024
November 6 & 7, 2024
Lubbock, Texas
More details to come soon!
Chip Adams, Community Relations & Outreach Specialist
Texas Music Office, Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 12428, Austin, TX 78711
(512) 463-6666 office
chip.adams@gov.texas.gov
texasmusicoffice.com
Learn more about TMO's Music Friendly Texas Community Program
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The Texas Music Office in the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and Tourism is the only state music office in the nation. Since 1990, TMO has fostered the economic development of Texas music businesses, Texas musicians, and Texas communities. TMO operates an extensive network of certified Music Friendly Texas community partners across the state, serves as a clearinghouse for Texas music industry information, acts as a liaison between music businesses and government offices, publicizes significant industry developments, and attracts essential music industry to the Lone Star State. A vibrant Texas music industry supports local job creation while drawing visitors from around the globe, attracting a talented workforce across industries, and supporting business recruitment and expansion efforts throughout the state.